LOTTERY NEWS

When you've won big, what do you buy first? A new home was the answer according to a Lotto Life poll. And it's not hard to see why.

Do you know what really defines wealth? Space. And lots of it.

Look at any of the items that wealthy people own, and they are armstretchingly big in every way. Offices, homes, yachts... the richer the owners, the bigger these assets. Space has always been the definer of wealth.

You said you want a better home in our poll.

So here's a list of 7 wide-open spaces you're buying when you own a lottery mansion... a home that's bigger than anything you imagined...

1. Large living areas: It's hard to get peace and quiet in a 2-bed apartment. So what happens when that floor space now is the size of just your mansion living room? What if you needed a phone system to connect your front door with every room - including the garage? What if you need a hoverboard or scooter to get around your home like singer Rick Ross does? You can!

2. Privacy: You're hidden from your neighbors so you can skinny-dip any time. You can play music from your poolside concealed rock speakers at full volume and no-one can hear it. One large-home owner even had a full size go-cart track out the back. Space insulates you from other people's problems as well... noise, pollution, intrusion.

3. Sculptured grounds and gardens: if you've ever walked through a public garden and admired the grounds, the manicured hedges, the topiary... you can enjoy that in your own home too. And you're giving work to skilled gardeners.

4. Space for pets: A mansion in Britain built by the Rothchild family had a private zoo. Do you think you could start your greyhound racing or lion park at last?

5. Storage space: One homeowner had a 2-storey garage on the side of his home built to take a trailer yacht, a Greyhound-bus sized RV, and several cars. One of them, a Mercedes SLK was stored inside a compartment in the side of the bus. Big.

6. Private theater: Some people enjoy going to public picture theaters at the time they're told to, sitting in uncomfortable seats at the wrong angle, listening to sound effects that are too loud, eating expensive popcorn. And they won't stop the film for you to visit the bathroom. All good reason for having your own vast theater like the one in Claude van Damme's home.

7. No salesmen: Ever get bothered by door-to-door sales people? They like houses all close together so they can optimize their walk time. Never again. They won't get past your giant gates, the long drive and the intercom cameras.